SOUTH YARMOUTH — There will be plenty of celebrating along with a bit of elbow-bending Saturday, even before the ninth annual St. Patrick's Parade steps off from Bass River Sports World at 11 a.m.

Three establishments along the 2-mile parade route — Red Face Jack's Pub, Tavern 731 and Captain Parker's Pub — are offering parade-goers some pre-parade sustenance and an early start on their celebratory drinking, opening at 8 a.m. for breakfast, complete with bloody marys and mimosas.

Red Face Jack's owner Ted Zambelis was able to get permission from the selectmen to set up an outdoor area in his parking lot where he'll serve sandwiches and beer.

Open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., the area will be fenced in and closely monitored, according to the restaurant's general manager, Doc Nealon.

"We'll have five or six bouncers, a staff of 20, the owner and managers and a police detail," Nealon said Wednesday.

The outdoor service of alcohol will mark a first for the parade and was not granted without some trepidation.

Tracy Post, vice chairman of the Yarmouth selectmen, said the request was approved by her board Tuesday in the spirit of supporting local businesses.

"The whole point of tourism is to offer events like the St. Patrick's Day parade on the off-season to bring tourists to Yarmouth," Post said. "Doing things like this is great, but we'll proceed with caution."

Police Chief Frank Frederickson was less sure the outdoor beer consumption was a good idea.

"My professional opinion is simple," Frederickson wrote in an email to selectmen, which was read at Tuesday's meeting. "Allowing increased opportunity to consume alcohol in public will increase the opportunity for negative alcohol-related issues such as intoxicated drivers, rowdiness and public disorder."

Frederickson cited a 2010 statistic from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that 80 percent of St. Patrick's Day holiday driving deaths involved drivers who registered twice the legal limit.

The police chief said the drinking had to be strictly monitored by Zambelis, if selectmen granted him the outdoor area. "The roads before, during and after will be crowded with thousands of people," he wrote. "Management must be vigilant to ensure that 'NO ONE' leaves their premises anywhere close to being intoxicated."

The police chief said he trusted that Zambelis, a respected local businessman, understood his responsibility.

Post repeated that sentiment.

"The Zambelis family are outstanding, longtime citizens of the town," Post said. "Ted also owns the Yarmouth House and De Parma."

Red Face Jack's and the Yarmouth House are listed on the parade website as corporate sponsors of the event.

Zambelis and some other bar owners have been asked to attend Tuesday's selectmen's meeting for serving drivers whom police later pulled over for drunken driving, but any infractions related to that upcoming meeting didn't factor into the board's decision to allow the outdoor beer area, according to Nealon.

Selectman Michael Stone initially expressed some reluctance over the outdoor drinking after reading the police chief's memo. "The board wants to support business, but there are public safety issues involved. St. Patrick's Day isn't known for getting up early and going to church. It's a holiday associated with drinking."

Stone ultimately voted in support of the request.

Board members told Zambelis he would have to ensure a safe ride home for anyone needing one.

This is the first year the parade will be solely in Yarmouth, beginning at Bass River Sports World and traveling along Route 28 to Higgins Crowell Road. In past years, it spanned Dennis and Yarmouth.

Ed Tierney, who serves on the committee in charge of the parade, said the decision to change the route was based on a couple factors.

"First, we're trying to accommodate the supporters of the parade," he said. Yarmouth's tourism fund kicks in $15,000 annually for the event, Tierney said, and the Yarmouth business community, particularly those along the new route, have always been strong parade supporters.

The committee also decided to shift the route away from the Bass River Bridge, based on some past float disasters there.

"Two years ago, the St. Pius float was ruined on the bridge, destroyed by the wind," Tierney said.